Last Thursday, July 26 I had a great idea…”let’s leave for Pogradec tomorrow” I said to my husband, “ok” he said and off I went to my friendly laptop and furiously started searching for a hotel. I found one that would allow pets of course, my two poochies were coming with us, and booked it for two nights. Friday morning we started on our journey at 9:00 am. Our friend Menita was visiting Shkodra from Tirana, where she lives and we gave her a ride back to the city since it was on our way. We arrived in Tirana about 11:30 am, dropped her off and continued on our journey.

We went through Elbasan and a number of other towns before arriving near Lin. The view was absolutely beautiful. I just have no way to describe to you what I see when we drive to these stunning locations, it is really something that has to be experienced. I can load photo after photo with adjectives galore, but the fact remains that it is indescribable! The weather was perfect for driving and we finally arrived in Pogradec about 5:00 pm.

We checked into our hotel, Hotel Millenium.  The hotel has two buildings, the newer section sits across the street from the beach and the older one, with the restaurant, is on the lake. It was a very good location with a lovely balcony overlooking the lake, which made for a great sunset photo! First order of business was to sit on the balcony, turn on soft music from my buddy Dell and enjoy the quietness and tranquility that only a lake can provide. We had a late lunch coming down so we opted to skip dinner and instead go across the street to the restaurant and enjoy a beer, or two, on their covered deck, which gave me the opportunity to take even more photos! The evening wound down very nicely.

On Saturday went to the small beach and enjoyed about 4 hours in the sun with the doggies, who by the way had the time of their life except for their fear of going in the water! Toby finally made it in but Mimi would have none of it. We rented a paddle boat for an hour and ventured out on the lake, soooo relaxing. For lunch we went next door to a lovely restaurant with delicious food, sat on the deck and enjoyed their fare with a nice cold beer, again 🙂

Later in the afternoon we decided to head to Drillon Swan Park, which was only 500 meters down the street. We made our trek there in no time and the park was everything we thought it would be and more. Upon entering it you immediately feel the serenity promised, it certainly did not disappoint. There are lakes full of graceful swans, ducks, small wood bridges, restaurants, trails and row boats. Of course we had to take a short “cruise” on the boat, from where you get a different perspective of the park. If you’re in the area you must visit, it’s free and absolutely beautiful.

On our last night we decided to dine at Bar Restaurant Dallga. The choice was perfect, the food exquisite and the prices average. On our way back Sunday we stopped in Tirana for the night. Our friend Menita was gracious enough to host “all” of us and we had a great evening, enjoying her company and good conversation. Thank you Menita!!! Till next time 🙂